Monday, November 25, 2024
HomeLGBT NewsTaiwan-Macau gay couple win legal battle for marriage recognition - FRANCE 24

Taiwan-Macau gay couple win legal battle for marriage recognition – FRANCE 24

Issued on: Modified:

Advertising

Taipei (AFP)

A Taiwan court ruled in favour of a Taiwanese-Macanese gay couple on Thursday in a legal test case greeted by activists as a first step towards getting full recognition of same-sex unions with foreigners.

Taiwan is at the vanguard of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Asia and became the first place in the region to legalise marriage equality in 2019.

Over 5,700 same-sex couples have wed since then but there are still some restrictions that heterosexual couples do not face.

Under current rules, Taiwanese can marry foreigners — but only those from countries where same-sex marriage is also recognised.

On Thursday, the Taipei High Administrative Court revoked a government office’s 2019 decision to reject the marriage registration of Ting Tse-yen and his partner Leong Chin-fai from Macau. Activists hailed the reversal as an “initial success”.

In Taiwan, marriages must be recorded at local household registration offices to be deemed legal.

It is the first time a court has directly ordered the household registration office to record an international same-sex marriage, according to their lawyer Victoria Hsu.

While the ruling sets a precedent it will not apply to other international same-sex couples, Hsu said, as she urged the government to amend the law to avoid multiple legal battles.

“The freedom of marriage is a basic right that should be fully protected instead of having to go through a case-by-case review,” Hsu said.

Leong, 33, and Ting, 29, co-founded a group to assist Taiwanese whose partners are from countries where same-sex marriage is not legal, including Japan, Thailand, China and Vietnam.

“Today’s ruling is not the end, it’s a process and a small milestone,” Leong told AFP.

“We hope in the future all international same-sex couples can register their marriages directly rather than having to go to courts.”

Taiwan is home to a thriving LGBT community and a record 200,000 people attended a pride march in Taipei in 2019 to celebrate the legalisation of same-sex marriages.

That legalisation came about after Taiwan’s top court ruled that denying same-sex couples the right to marry was discriminatory and unconstitutional.

But the issue of same-sex marriage proved deeply divisive and the law contained restrictions pushed for by conservatives, including more limited adoption rights.

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular

Recent Comments

pacomonkey007 on
nickrod32 on
Kate on
Gabriel Jimenez on
Boris Dorofeev on
AlexanderCostan on
Gouki249 on
Michael Schaper on
Supertomiman on
Robert Johns on
heyayup on
J.N Turner on
Cassandra Sainvilus on
mistermiah21 on
AL T on
Stjepan Vončina on
Alesandros356 on
Μαριος Κοσκολος on
Kikoushinzen on
Chanti Allen on
askvir2 on
PR3DA7EUR on
mikkita88 on
Shanoriya Robinson on
hightune21 on
s0medudeonline on
Ryan Wright on
Imcia Rens on
Garchomp Pit on
Kai Laa on
king vapor on
king vapor on
barosan jupan on
camaflauge on
Omar Doleymi on
JawNas1 on
Ibraheem Mansour on
SuperAceone on
James Darwin on
toomuchdingding on
lanciauxrayz on
curioussebastian on
Iman Farahin on
Samhain entertainment on
longsweep1 on
SuperCaffeinelover on
Rin Lee on
Samhain entertainment on
banglawaz0 on
banglawaz0 on
Chope89 on
nikos sicks on
ForZaSLaN1905 on
Kieran Murphy on
Brian Sirovey on
Enrico Baratelli on
Kenn Zesky on
Synthiotics on
ROGAN on
DJVM95 on
Corie Jacobs on
久登 寺島 on
Jakob Vlietstra on
shook one on
shook one on
Zeracan on
jarjarbinx79 on
keefkeef chiefchief on
WolfgangSenske on
Pieceofshit19 on
numbstateofennui on
The Real Witches on
Tribble Booth on
Greg Blackman on
Emily Fravel on
Daniel Baker on
Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD on
Eden Brown on
johnboysssss on
CeeJayDee94 on
TheGoodNews01 on
jpalberthoward9 on
lakecrab on
jpalberthoward9 on
lakecrab on
jpalberthoward9 on
jpalberthoward9 on
jpalberthoward9 on
liffeybeat on
Chad Premo on
Michael E. O'Donnell on
徹 田中 on
Izzat Zainal on
InfliiKted on
angelo leslie on
Regena Daunicht on
Eddie The Liar on
DrNepal on
DrNepal on
TheGrimriftstalker on
Tatts Thompson on
Frederico Miranda Brandão Alves on
Jerry Bender on
uncle mike on
Dluv021 on
杏 唯 on
blu jonce on
lakecrab on
justin gingell on
anand- jivano on
kree8r on
Antonio Amaral on
Issam Bensoltane on
David Klonowski on
joe man on
chris badtrekkie on
Iktisam shahriar on
Hilaire Dufresne on
timthepainter1 on
immrnoidall on
Merle McDane on
Royalhighlander on
J Edge on
Mike J on
Mike J on
EarthEats Moon on
equn on
Lozial on
Grey Umopepisdn on
Adski92 on
ninjia1O1 on
murkyslough18 on
Robert Rickner on
okaminess on
stkcarm5 on
Kim Kelly on
funkymcbean on
ojibajo on
mzwickedlette88 on
neotek79 on
1ofmeNlotsofU on
aeroldoth on
TheThorne13 on
QueenLucyThe2nd on
James Gambino on